Dori: Don’t let your kid vandalize City Hall, then get upset at criticism

Last week, I was very critical of the 13-year-old girl who spray-painted Seattle City Hall in the name of climate change with an activist group. I said that I didn’t understand how parents could allow their kids to be used by these climate zealots.

As I always try to do when I criticize people, I invited the girl and her mom to come on the show. I think it would be healthy for the girl to hear another perspective on all of this. And I would be happy to listen to what she has to say as well. An exchange of ideas is always beneficial. I think it would be fascinating to talk with a 13-year-old kid who has been moved to this level of passion and zealotry for climate activism.

The girl’s mom is very upset because of what I said, as well as because of what one of the other hosts here said. I understand that. So she refused to come on the show with us, which is a shame — I would love to respectfully give them a chance to speak on this show and give their viewpoint.

Here’s my frustration. The reason this 13-year-old girl was in the news was because the climate activists with whom she was working recorded a video of her getting handcuffed, and then put that video on social media in order to smear the Seattle Police Department for doing its job. If they hadn’t done that, we would never have heard about it.

Seattle activists livid protester arrested for vandalizing City Hall

Then, ostensibly with her parents’ consent, the girl went and spoke before the Seattle City Council a few days later. During this speech, she put her name out there. So now her name is part of the public’s knowledge of her. It was not out there before that, as she is a juvenile.

Then last Friday, there was another show of climate activism at City Hall, and the mom talked to news cameras about SPD handcuffing her daughter.

This is why I’m frustrated. The group with which you are working put video out of your arrest. You put your name out there in front of the council. You did another climate activism event, knowing it would attract press. And now you’re upset with this radio show because I dared to say critical things, because I dared to question the brilliance of spray-painting City Hall in the name of climate activism.

This is not against this particular mom, but as a general statement, I question the judgment and vision of parents who put social activism above their children’s well-being. I don’t think it’s good and healthy for a kid to be in the news like that. I’m sure she’s attracting a lot of negativity from people.

But I’m not going to refrain from talking about vandalism at City Hall or from defending Seattle cops for doing their jobs.

There are a lot of groups that believe they can use children as human shields. If they put a child out there, they are immune to any criticism or critical analysis of what they are doing.

Guess what? Using children like that does not make you immune. To think that we should be quiet, and that critics should never say a word about $1,000 worth of vandalism, or about cops getting smeared simply for doing their jobs, is so wrong. There are other perspectives on cops and climate and lawbreaking, and I happen to offer a different perspective to what this girl probably hears every day of her life.

Don’t put your kids out there, or allow them to go out there, and then be upset if somebody says something critical about what the kid does.

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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